Countdown for blast off. X minus five, four, three, two, X minus one, fire. From the far horizons of the unknown come tales of new dimensions in time and space. These are stories of a future, adventures in which you'll live in a million could-be years on a thousand maybe worlds. The National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine presents X minus one. Tonight, End as a World by F.L. Wallace. But first, hear this. When the place is fine and the time is right when the moon is low and the stars are bright. You make it Pabst, cause Pabst makes it perfect. Yes, Pabst makes it perfect. Just as we always have ever since 1844. So next time you make it Pabst, because Pabst makes it perfect. America's blue ribbon beer from the Pabst Brewing Company Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Yes, Pabst makes it perfect. Now, X minus one and End as a World. I saw it on the doormat in the front porch. The boy had made a lucky throw and the paper was spread out neatly on the doormat facing me as I came out of the screen door. The headline was black across the top. They used the big type, the kind they used for presidential elections or when the town all-star little league team won the national championship. I stood and looked at it through the screen door. I hadn't quite rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, so first all I saw was the little boxes of the screen. And then suddenly my eyes snapped into focus and I read it. This is the day the world ends. Pete, Pete come in and eat your breakfast. Just a minute Ma. You leave the newspaper alone. You can read it later. Come on now, the eggs are getting cold. Yeah, but Ma, it's today. Well, what's today? Well, look at the headline. Let's see anything on the front page. Well, look, this is the day the world ends. Oh, that. Well, world's end or no, I won't have eaten cold scrambled eggs. Now you sit right down and eat your breakfast. I brought the newspaper into the breakfast table. I turned to the sports page. The Dodgers were winning or losing. I forget which and UCLA was strong and was going to beat everybody they met that fall. An H bomb had been tested in the middle of the Pacific, blowing another island off the map, just as if we had islands to spare. Ordinarily that would be in the front page, but not today. Now don't get the newspaper in there, Gil. No, Ma. Want some toast? Peter, do you want some toast? All right, Ma. It was Saturday. Big things always seem to happen on Saturdays. I ate breakfast and get up. I had the usual things to do like mowing the lawn, for instance, but I skipped it that day. There wasn't any use mowing a lawn on a day like that. I went out remembering not to slam the door. It wasn't much, but it showed thoughtfulness. I went past the church and looked at the sign that was set diagonally in the corner so it could read from both streets. There it was in big letters quoting from the papers. This is the day the world ends. Dr. Davidson scheduled a prayer meeting for the calculated time. It was a bright day. People were out walking or just standing looking at the sky. It was too early to look up. Hey Pete, here you are. Catch. Here. Hey, who showed you how to throw a football hit? Catch this. Hey, nice pass. Here you are, lateral. I got it. Throw me a long one. I run out on that button hook. No, no, look, I don't feel like it. Not today. What do we do? I listen the new issue of popular rocketry came in Donnick Rovers. Yeah, I saw it. Or we could go down and see Holly. All right. Pete, Peter. Hey, your mother wants you. Yeah, what is it, Ma? Now don't go too far. I've got some things I want you to do. What? I want you to help me move some trash out of the basement and help me move some of the potted plants around in front. Ma, what's the use of doing things like that on a day like today? Never mind. You come back by 11 o'clock, you hear? No. Come on, Holly's probably down at Grovers. Hey, look at this high hurdle. I'll go right over the sign. Here I go. Olympic star Paul Smithfield. He went up over the sign easily. Paul's on the track team in high school. I looked at the sign again as he went over the top. This is the day the world ends. They never said more than that, not in the newspapers or the signs painted on the brick walls. They wanted it to hang on our minds, something we couldn't quite touch but we knew was there. We walked along down Green Street toward Grovers. What do you think of it? What? You know, today. I don't know. What about you? We got it coming. Yeah, but will we get it? I don't know. Hey, look, it's gonna be nice and bright today. Yeah, it is now. Mike clod over. Yeah, it won't matter. It'll split the sky when it comes. Hey, you hear the new song? Some disc jockey wrote it. I love you, I love you, love you. Hey, it sounds awful. Listen, I love you, love you, love you, till the day the world ends. I love you, love you, love you, till my heartbreak ends. And a lot more guff like that. You know, it seems awful. I mean, making a song on a thing like that, you could have more respect. Why shouldn't they cash in on it? How about that contest on TV? What will you do on the day the world ends in 25 words or less? You know, some people will do anything for a buck. Yeah. You think they'd have some, I don't know, some understanding of how important it is. Well, they do. You should see the souvenir stands on Main Street. You know, pennants saying the end of the world, stuff like that. That's disgusting. Grovers has an end of the world Sunday. Joey Tripp had one last night. It was really the end. Yeah, he's a pig. Yeah, sure is. Boy, it was really something with nuts on top. You're listening to End as a World, tonight's attraction on X minus one. Careful planning and sensible driving add up to an enjoyable vacation trip. There are a few tips from the National Safety Council that should help make your trip a pleasure instead of a tense, nerve wracking time. Before you leave, have the car given a thorough checkup to be sure it will always respond properly to your careful control. Check the emergency equipment you'll need, such as a first aid kit, keys, permits, identification, flashlight, tire changing equipment, and your unexpired driver's license. Plan your trip for frequent rest stops with a good night's sleep each night. And then on your trip, pay attention to the job at hand and don't daydream. Stop off the road to see the sights or read the map. Be prepared for winding and straight roads, level and hilly roads, and changing traffic patterns between urban and rural areas. Obey all speed limits, traffic signs, and signals, and keep your distance behind the driver ahead. This vacation is what you've been waiting for all year. Enjoy it with sensible driving. Now back to X minus one and end as a world. We went on to find Howie. He's a little guy, but he can throw a football further and faster than anybody else in the team. Howie was carrying a model of a rocket ship, carbon dioxide powered. Let's see the model Howie. Doesn't work. Well, what do we do? I don't know. We could play Suluji. No, I left the football over at Pete's. I might as well just sit down on the grass. Okay. Hey, I wonder if it'll really come. Where will the president watch it from? They should have a good view from the White House. No better than us right here. What about Australia? Will they see it over there? They'll see it all over. Africa too. And what about the Eskimos? Doesn't matter whether they actually see it or not. It'll come to everyone at the same time. Yeah. How about that? Everybody, not just in this town, but all over wherever there are people and even where they're not. You know what I keep thinking about? What? I keep thinking about the man who made the H-bomb. I bet he felt silly and spiteful blowing up an island. I mean, somebody might've wanted to live on it if he just left it there. You know? Yeah. Bet he feel pretty small with his old H-bomb after today. Pow. My mother's over at the church praying. And what for? She just said that's what she wanted to spend the day doing right up to the last minute. You know, all the churches are holding prayer meetings. Town Board wanted to close up that carnival on Pearl Street. You know, the one with the couch tent? They said it wasn't dignified for today. They'd close it up? Mm-mm. The manager said he had his license and he didn't care if the day was the day the world ended or not. He was putting on five shows right up till it happens. Funny idea. Those girls dancing and then, boom, it happens and nobody to look at them anymore. I can't understand people. Shows and lawns and cleaning the trash out of the cellar on a day like this, it just doesn't make any sense. Well, people get used to doing certain things. Yeah, but today? Even today. That's how people are, I guess. Just gotta keep on with what they're doing even if it doesn't make any sense. Now we talked about it for a while, but we talked it out long ago. There was really nothing new we could say. Every once in a while we'd look up at the sky, but it wasn't going to come until it got here. Finally, I went home for lunch. Now you said Stella need your lunch. Oh, Ma. It'll happen without your help. It's going to be all right. You think so? I think so. I, um, I'll give you your allowance now. Yeah, but Ma, it's only Saturday. I don't get my allowance. Well, I'll give it to you today anyway. You might as well spend it this afternoon downtown. Gee, thanks, Ma. All right. I won't keep you over lunch. You can run uptown and watch it from there. Okay, Ma. You're going to go? Of course I'm not. Why should I get into that mob? I can watch it just as well from here. Ma, sure she could. It wasn't the same. Everybody I knew was going to be there. I changed my shirt before I left. I took a rag and wiped the dust from my shoes. I wasn't trying to be fussy or dressed up or anything. I just thought I should do it. I walked uptown slow because there was lots of time to kill. There was shade and sun on the streets and a few big clouds in the sky. I never knew how slow a day could pass. I suppose I should have slept late in the morning and kept busy doing something. Well, this was worse than putting on a uniform and waiting till game time. At least there was a coach on the field to let you know what to do as you ran through the drill. I ran into Paul at the corner of Cross and Chestnut. Hey, you nervous? No, no. Why should I be? You're not in suspense? I don't know if we had some way of knowing for sure. Radio maybe. There's no radio. The calculations have been checked. Yeah, but maybe there's something we forgot or don't know. A lot of things can go wrong. Hi, fellas. Hi, Howie. You want to go down to Grover's and get a malted? I don't know. We've still got lots of time. We won't miss anything. We all went down and had malteds at Grover's. The television was on. They were showing a street in India with people looking up. They flashed all around Italy, China and Brazil. Except for their clothes. It wasn't much different from here. They were all looking up. Well, let's get outside. I haven't finished my malted. What's the difference in a day like today? I want to finish my malted. Outside, I noticed there was a slight overcast. The big billowing clouds had passed, but this was worse. I hoped it would clear away in time. Not that it really mattered. Hey, it's a pretty big crowd for a Saturday. This isn't a usual Saturday. What time is it? I don't know. You got to watch, Paul? No. We can see the clock on the Merchant's Block in the corner. Come on. Hey, it's Ginny Wexelberg. See her over there? Hey, how'd you like to spend a day with her? That'll really make it a big day, huh? Oh, you don't need that old Ginny Wexelberg to make this a big day. After today, a blind 15-year-old kid isn't going to seem so important. After today, nothing's going to seem important, huh? Well, there's the clock. We still got plenty of time. We just walked around. A few other kids from school passed by and we stopped. It was getting closer. The space between the minutes was getting longer and longer. Hey, I'm hungry. I want to go back and get a candy bar. You're crazy. It's almost time. I got a couple of minutes. Look. Well, you just had a malted. I don't know. I'm hungry. I mean, I got a right to eat a candy bar before it happens, don't I? How can you think about food? It's only one minute. Well, all right. I just wanted to get one last candy bar. That's all. You think we could see better if we went across the street? It doesn't make any difference. It's going to be all over the world. There was still a minute to go and I kept wondering if there'd been a miscalculation. Now we were all looking up. All over the world, people were looking up. It was quiet. You could hear them breathing. I snicked a look across the street. Ginny Wexelberg was staring up and she was crying. I kept wondering why a pretty girl like that should be crying. And then just as I looked back at the sky, it happened. It came. The flash across the skies, the silver streak, the biggest vapor trailer ever was. It went from this side to that side in no time. Let's split the sky and was gone before the shockwave hit us. Nobody said anything. We stood there and shivered and straightened up after the rumbling sound passed. You know what? It's going to go around the whole world. Well, he did it. Yeah, yeah, he did it. Yeah, he sure did. All the way to Mars and back, safe and right on schedule. You realize that he did it. He did it. The first trip to Mars. He's back. He's safe. The factory whistles down by the rivers that are blowing. The bells of the Baptist, the Congregationalist and the Roman Catholic Church were ringing. We were all jumping up and down, shouting and screaming, laughing as the vapor trail slowly fading into the overcast. I grabbed a hold of somebody next to me and all of a sudden I realized it was Ginny Wexelberg and she kissed me and I kissed her back. And we yelled louder than all the factory whistles. We had a right. It was just like the paper said. This was the day the world ended and the universe began. This is Fred Collins and I'll be back with a word about X minus one in a moment. Hi, this is Walter O'Keefe. You know, they say there's nothing new under the sun and maybe that's true, but there is something new under the moon and that's Nightline. In Nightline, we think we found the way to use the intimacy as well as the lightning fast maneuverability of radio in an hour and a half package of high voltage, different entertainment. We found the way to make the air waves your magic carpet to wherever big things are happening anywhere in the country, for that matter, anywhere in the world. Now let's say that your favorite comedian is performing at a Las Vegas nightclub. He's packing them in and you've really got to have connections to get a table. Well, Nightline is that connection and your radio is your ringside table. More things than you'd believe are happening in the so-called still of the night and Nightline is your line to exciting entertainment after dark. My feeling is Nightline marks a new era in nighttime entertainment. Tune us in tonight over most of these NBC stations. You have just heard X minus one presented by the National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine, which this month features William Morrison's novelette, The Sly Bungerhop. To Colmer, it was the chance of a lifetime. He could hear opportunity knock, but where in all creation was the door it knocked upon? Galaxy Magazine on your newsstand today. Tonight, X minus one has brought you End as a World, a story from the pages of Galaxy written by F. L. Wallace and adapted for radio by Ernest Kenoy. Featured in our cast were Jack Grimes as Pete, Larry Robinson as Paul, Peter Fernandez as Howie, and Alice Yeoman as the mother. This is Fred Collins speaking. X minus one was directed by Daniel Sutter and is an NBC radio network production. Next week on X minus one, another exciting story from the pages of Galaxy, The Scapegoat by Richard Maples. If you saw a big teenage young bully beating up a helpless old man on the street, what would you do? Try to stop it or save your own neck by just walking away? Well, this is the story of a man who did stop it, of a newspaper reporter who not only rescued the old man, but took him home, hoping to develop a good angle for the newspaper series he was writing on juvenile delinquency. The Scapegoat tells of what happened then, of the terrible threat posed by this seemingly harmless old man to the unsuspecting reporter and his family. Be sure to hear it next week on X minus one. Wondering what the weather will be like tomorrow night? Will it be cool? Will it be hot? Will it rain or not? Well, don't give it another thought because NBC's Monitor has a weatherproof evening planned for you with excursions to three world-famous underground scenic spots. You'll go roving with Monitor on a two and a half mile trip through Marvel Cave in Missouri. You'll listen to the music of a stalactite organ in Loray Caverns, Virginia, and you'll visit the historic catacombs of Rome. Between trips underground, you'll hear another merry report on his vacation tour of Europe by comedian Jonathan Winters, and you'll rub elbows with international celebrities at a unique party in Tootshaw's famous restaurant in New York. There'll be music and news too. In fact, there'll be something for everybody on Monitor. So start your weekend right with Monitor Friday night and stay with Monitor all weekend long. Nightline takes you to wherever exciting, interesting, and entertaining things are happening tonight over most of these same NBC stations.
